Suna no Shiro
by Loreley Clay
Summary: "Sandcastle." Another song-inspired drabble(ish) on Skye and Claire's convoluted relationship, from Skye's perspective- and to him, it's a game with stakes that were perhaps too high. Companion to "Kaitou Neon". (How do I summary.) Reads and reviews are very much appreciated!


**:Author's Note:**

**This one's brand-new, I wrote it yesterday! I also wrote its twin, "Kaitou Neon", at the same time. Both stories are named after songs by the wonderful band SID. "Suna no Shiro" (Sandcastle) was a song I hadn't listened to before yesterday, and I was immediately struck by how similar the chorus melody sounded to that of one of my favorite older SID songs, "Kaitou Neon". The lyrics told completely different stories and the songs had just about opposite atmospheres, which I found fascinating, and of course had to find a way to connect them! The story these fics describe certainly isn't the relationship I typically picture between Claire and Skye, but it's what the songs inspired me to write.**

**As I said in this fic's twin, the process by which I wrote these is weird enough to note: I made a playlist of "Kaitou Neon" and "Suna no Shiro", and set it on repeat. Whenever "Suna no Shiro" was on, I wrote on this fic. As soon as the song changed, I moved over to the other piece, and bounced back and forth like this. That may explain some things about both pieces, perhaps!**

*** This fic contains the occasional reference to lyrics in "Suna no Shiro" by SID.**

*** Companion to "Kaitou Neon"- I highly recommend you read them together. It's cooler that way!**

**This one is from Skye's perspective. Is it what you expected? Please enjoy, and reviews are very much appreciated!**

******~Loreley**

* * *

Your hands are soft now—so gentle. No one knows that but me, I'm sure: everyone else is treated to views of your back, or at best, a falsified gregariousness that perhaps is kept up solely for your own amusement. They see the hardened hands of a worker tied to the earth, not a _person_ at all.

_I_ saw a person. I saw a woman, and so I sought you out. Not an easy target at all, didn't you know? Or a 'target' at all. A goal, instead. You weren't easy, and that was exactly what I wanted. I set aside the life I was living, willfully, and committed myself to you. You '_saved_' me.

A melody of destruction, set to a backdrop of new life. Where do I fit into it all, I wonder?

I came to you as your phantom thief, or sometimes as a prince. You accepted me either way, even when under the pretense of being my adversary. You made yourself _fascinating_. I liked to be toyed with, to be challenged and hurt when I didn't play my part properly, to be _your_ entertainment. That was more than enough for me.

I was sure it wasn't something sustainable, something that would wash away with the coming of the ocean's tide, and yet, still here I am…

You knew this would happen, didn't you? Was that a part of your plan, or did you feel yourself tumbling only after the ground had left your feet as well? As I—I was too preoccupied to assess your condition. Too busy keeping up a breezy smile, a pretty façade constructed on the all-consuming fear that I could lose you.

"Today exists because I was seen through." Reality and fantasy mixed and darkened. I don't know which I believe to be true, anymore.

Tell me it hurt sometimes, please. Something bothered you about my being your prisoner. The way I was lured in, directed with reward and punishment. My battered soul in your arms, caressing the wounds with your soft hands, I remember it all. The price I paid for a better life, it was _you_… But you can't remember pain if you inflict it instead of feeling it yourself, is that right?

Every mark is a thin, red thread on my skin. I accept them as the red thread of fate, encircling you and I, locked in a dancing embrace forever. This is what was meant to be. I was meant to find you and fall in love with you, and you with I. Those words still seem sweet to me, just as they were to you in the beginning—are they now, still? This is _fate_, darling. Lovely girl, and a phantom thief…

Fate—with these threads binding my body, I am only a terribly willing prisoner.


End file.
